Michael Bay to Transformers critics: 'What movie are you watching?'

SPOILERS: This article contains plot details of Transformers: Age of Extinction that some readers may wish to avoid.

Michael Bay is still basking in the glory of a $100 million opening weekend for Transformers: Age of Extinction, but despite the film's box office success, the franchise has come in for yet another critical drubbing.

2007's debut entry saw a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while sequel Revenge of the Fallen tumbled to 19% and 2011's Dark of the Moon rebounded to 36%. Latest installment Age of Extinction is at an all-time franchise low with a meagre 17%.

It should also be noted that, while the running time for each entry is ballooning (Extinction is 165 bum-numbing minutes), so too are ticket sales - Transformers has banked more than $2.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

Bay's movies as a whole have never really drawn favor with reviewers, but it's Transformers that has provoked the most press ire.

Digital Spy has seen three different critics take on the Transformers series, none of whom have come away with much positive to say. Our latest verdict even pondered the notion that watching a Bay Transformers film was the cinematic equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome, the viewer pulverised into submission with "cacophonous carnage".

"Either ignore it, gain pleasure in dissecting it, or head to an IMAX 3D cinema and enjoy the mindless, escapist thrills on offer," wrote Ben Rawson-Jones.

Bay himself doesn't really care about his detractors, telling journalists at the film's Berlin press conference that he only seeks satisfaction from his paying customers.

"With Transformers, you're trying to make a ride for the audience. What ways are there to enthrall the audience?" he said. "I've been a very fortunate director in terms of box office. It feels good, but it seems like you've got to take it as it comes - you gotta look for the next one.

"I work as hard as I can and I'm glad that people are liking the movie besides the critics, let's just forget the critics. The people in the audience are liking the movies - that's what I make movies for."

Bay has his own suggestion for movie critics who like sharpening their knives for his Autobot outings.

"I think that they should make it mandatory for reviewers that they sit in the audience - just by themselves surrounded by a real audience," he said. "That's how you should watch movies, because right now I might have seen this movie 25 times with audiences.

"They applaud, they laugh, they cheer. I don't know what movie [the critics are] reviewing. People walked out happy, that's what we're trying to do. We're just entertainers."

Mark Wahlberg, who reunites with Bay on Transformers after their collaboration on Pain & Gain, quipped that he never reads his bad reviews. "I'm only sent the glowing ones," he said.

"We know that we made a movie that audiences are loving all over the world, and we're extremely proud of the movie," Wahlberg observed.

"It was such a great chance for me to work with Michael, I learned so much from him as an aspiring filmmaker and storyteller. It's not something that I spend too much time worrying about."

Bay believes that Optimus Prime, the paternalistic leader of the Autobot clan, is key to the success of the series. "People need more heroes in their lives and it's a different spin on the superhero with a cape," he explained.

For those not enamoured with Bay's take on Transformers, you're out of luck. The series won't be retired anytime soon, and plans are already under way for movie number 5.

"This was really just to set up a whole bunch of scenarios where we can really broaden the franchise," the director said.

"When you look at the fifth shot of the movie, you see that weird alien hand. What was that? Where did the spaceship go? Where did Optimus go? There's a lot that could go on. Where did the Dinobots go? They're in Hong Kong somewhere."

Transformers: Age of Extinction is showing in US cinemas now and will be released in the UK on July 5. Watch the trailer for the film below: